Support for clotheslines



Nov. 27, 1951 J, g 2,576,805

SUPPORT FOR CLOTHESLINES Filed Dec. 29, 1947 v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 ENTOR. John B- [Vi/ 95 A TTO RAIL-y Nov. 27, 1951 J, NlLEs 2,576,805

SUPPORT FOR CLOTHESLINES Filed Dec. 29, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IN VEN TOR.

r/cgim .B. N z'les W;'% W1 A TTO/WYE) Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUPPORT FOR OLOTHESLINES John B. Niles, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application December 29, 1947, Serial No. 794,284

4 Claims.

My invention relates to posts for supporting clothes lines or the like and the object of my invention is to provide a post equipped with a bracket carrying a cross member to which clothes lines or the like may be secured.

Another object of my invention is to provide a clothes line post of the character indicated above, the bracket of which is adapted to be raised or lowered to a convenient position and to be secured in said position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a clothes line post of the character indicated above, the bracket of which is adjusted by a rack and pinion transmission.

Other objects of my invention not specifically mentioned may appear in the following description describing my invention with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating my invention. It is, however, to be understood, that my invention is not to be limited or restricted to the exact construction and combination of parts described in the specification and shown in the drawing, but that such changes and modifications may be made which fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

In the several figures of the drawing similar parts are designated by similar reference characters and Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a clothes line post constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation on an enlarged scale of the middle portion of the structure, the cross piece and an adjacent part being in section.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view in elevation of a portion of the inner side of the structure looking toward the rack.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure '7 is a detail view of the roller.

The clothes line post forming the subject matter of my invention comprises a standard I0 preferably made from a pipe and embedded in a concrete base II in vertical position. On one side of the standard I0, which is called hereinafter the front side of the standard, a flat rectangular guide bar I2 is secured to and extends axially of the standard downwardly from a point below the upper end of the standard to a point intermediate the two ends thereof. A rack I3 is secured to the front side of the standard and forms a downwardly extending continuation of the guide bar I2.

A slide bracket 1) consists of an elongated bar like body l4 on the upper end of which a bracket head H is either formed or securely fastened. The substantially ring like rear portion I5 of the bracket head is adapted to receive the standard III slidably therein and in order to facilitate the sliding movement of the bracket 1) on the standard a cored hollow I6 is formed centrally in the rearmost wall portion of said bracket head, and in each side wall of said hollow a cored channel I1 is arranged so that a roller I8, having a shaft I9 may be positioned rotatably in said hollow. The ends of the shaft I8 are located in the side channels Il, so that the roller will be in .rolling contact with the standard III. In the front side of the inner surface of the bracket head H, an axially extending, rectangular groove 2c is provided adapted to receive the guide bar I2, when the bracket b is mounted on the standard to prevent oscillating movement of the bracket relative to the standard. An upper lug 2I and a lower lug 22 extend horizontally and forwardly from the bracket head at the levels of the upper and lower edge of the bracket head respectively. Each lug is provided with a hole 23 and the two holes are arranged coaxially with each other so that a bolt 24 may extend through said holes for a purpose to be described later.

On the lower end portion of the bar like body I4, a rearwardly and horizontally extending guide ring 25 is formed or secured, and the lowermost portion of said body forms a gear housing 9 having two side walls 26 and a downwardly curved.

front wall 21. The rear of said housing is open and communicates with a guide slot 28 provided in the front portion of the guide ring 25. This guide slot is adapted to receive slidably the rack E3 on the front side of the standard I0. A pinion 29 is rigidly mounted on a shaft 30 rotatably arranged in and extending through the side walls 26 of the gear housing 9, so that the pinion 29 is located in said housing, extends partly into the guide slot 23, and meshes with the rack I3, when the bracket is mounted on the standard I0. A crank 3| is rigidly mounted on one end of the shaft 3%. By rotating the pinion 29 with the crank, the bracket may be raised or lowered on the standard, while the engagement of the guide bar it with the groove 28 in the bracket head It and of the rack I3 with the guide slot 28 in the guide ring 25 prevents oscillating movement of the bracket 2) relative to the standard I0.

A cross piece 32 preferably made from a piece of pipe fitting into the space between the upper lug 2i and lower lug 22 is provided centrally of its length with a diametrical hole 33. It is arranged horizontally between the two lugs, and the bolt 24 is inserted through the holes 23 in the lugs and the hole 33 in the cross pipe securing the cross piece in position. A plurality of rods 34 extend diametrically through the cross piece 32 at right angles to the bolt 24, and each rod is provided at its front end with an eye 35 and the rear end portion of each rod is threaded to receive a wing nut 36 thereon. A helical spring 31 surrounds the portion of each rod located between the cross piece 32 and the wing nut 36.

To prevent accidental axial movement of the bracket b relative to the standard [0, a stop pin 38 extends through the side walls 26 of thegear housing, and one end of the pin is normally urged into the path of the crank 33! by a helical spring 39 surrounding the pin inside the housing and engaging one of the side walls 26 and a cotter pin 40 or, the like extending through the stop pin 38. The end of the stop pin 38 normally located in the path'of the crank 3| prevents rotation of the pinion 29 and in consequence axial movement of the bracket 1) on the standard it A fiat finger grip 4| is formed on the other end of the stop pin and is normally located between two stop lugs 42 extending laterally from the corresponding side wall 26 of the gear housing g. When the bracket bis to be moved into a preferred position, the stop pin 38 is pulled out of the path of the crank 3| by means of the finger grip 41' and is rotated so that said finger grip is arranged at right angles to the stop lugs 42. The spring 39 urges the finger grip 4! onto the outer surfaces of the stop lugs, preventing the stop pin from sliding into normal position so that the crank can be turned and the bracket b may be raised or lowered into the selected position. Then the finger grip is released from its engagement with the stop lugs and is turned to be adapted to slide between these lugs so that the spring 39 returns the stop into normal working position.

An ornamental cap fits snugly on the top of the standard II]. On the forward portion of said cap, a socket 43 is formed adapted to receive the upper end portion of the guide bar I 2 and to prevent-rotary movement of the cap relative to the post. A horizontal ledge or lug 44 extends rearwardly from the bottom portion of the cap and is provided with a centrally located hole 45. A guy rod 46 is threaded on its upper end, which extends loosely through the hole 45, and a nut 41 is mounted on this end. If desired, a stop nut 48 may be arranged on the threaded guy rod end underneath the lug 44.

When a clothes line 49 or the like is to be supported on clothes line posts of the kind described above, two such posts are erected to face each other with their front sides. On each end of the clothes line, a turn buckle 50 is secured, which is equipped on its free end with a hook I, adapted to engage the eye 35 on one of the rods 34. To prevent the posts from leaning toward each other under the load supported by the clothes line, each guy rod 46 is secured in the ground in any conbore, a roller journaled in said recess and bearing against the standard, a bar depending from said bracket in spaced relation to said standard, a rack secured on said standard below said bracket and in line with said bar, a pinion journaled on the lower end of said bar and engaged with said rack, a hand-crank for turning said pinion to raise and lower said bracket, a latching means engageable with said crank to hold said bracket in an adjusted position, and an annular guide element offset rearwardly from the lower end of said bar and engaged with said post.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, with said bracket having a pair of laterally offset vertically spaced lugs engaged with the medial portion of said cross-arm, and a. bolt extending through said lugs and the cross-arm to secure the latter in place.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, with the said barhaving its lower end formed with a bifurcated enlargement and said pinion journaled within the furcation, and said latching means is comprised in a stop pin mounted for sliding movements in said enlargement, a spring normally urging said pin into the path of said hand-crank, and a finger piece on one end of said pin for effecting its manipulation.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1, with the said latching means comprised in a stop pin mounted for sliding movements transversely through said bar, an enlargement, constituting a finger grip, at one end of said stop pin, a coil spring on said stop pin normally urging the same into the path of movement of said hand-crank, and a pair of spaced lugs adapted to be engaged by said enlargement to retain the stop pin out of the path of movement of the handcrank during its manipulation to efiect adjustment of said bar relatively to the standard.

JOHN B. NILES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Pate Re. 12,376 Warner Aug. 1, 1905 269,874 Moore et al Jan. 2, 1883 714,704 Jackson Dec. 2, 1902 820,815 McManus May 15, 1906 1,217,336 Niles Feb. 27, 1917 1,423,762 Franzen July 25, 1922 1,493,890 Montelius May 13, 1924 1,822,907 Ruchie Sept. 15, 1931 1,853,155 Van Dyke Apr. 12, 1932 2,346,222 Knourek Apr. 11, 1944 

